ads should sell

“We sell… or else.”

David Ogilvy said that. He built one of the biggest ad agencies on the planet.

Man had a philosophy about ads. Basically: ads should sell product.

You run a business. I run a business. To us, this makes total sense.

Not to most advertising people though.

Have you seen perfume ads?

A movie star drives into the desert. Plays a guitar for a prairie wolf. Buries the guitar. Walks off.

It’s like a fever dream.

Ever seen one of those car ads where there’s no car in sight? Just a bunch of colorfully dressed, very weird-looking people standing in an elevator.

Truly bizarre.

The fact is, most advertising people haven’t sold a thing in their life and couldn’t sell to save their lives either.

They’ll tell you to just “put your name out there” and that you should “build brand awareness.”

Don’t fall for that.

Every ad should sell.

Sell your message.

Sell your service.

Sell your product.

Sell your company.

I don’t particularly care which one you pick…

…but it should sell SOMETHING.

When we start working with clients this is one of the first things we go over. Look at what they’re doing, find ads that don’t sell… change them.

If you’re going to invest money, might as well give yourself the best chance to get the money back, right?

Anyway, it might be a good thing to look at in your business. We sell… or else.

Eric

P.S. It would be pretty weak if I didn’t sell on this blog. So if you want to see what it’s like to work with us, fill out this form. If we’re a good match, get ready for some serious growth.